Uber Tips for a Smooth Rideshare

There's a lot more under the hood than you might realize.

Chandra Steele

July 21, 2018, 4:50 a.m.

With Uber, controversy is never too far away. But neither is a ride, so the company continues to dominate the market it created.

There are alternatives, like Lyft, which briefly surpassed its competitor in the App Store during the travel ban tussle. But when you're standing on a street corner with no taxi in sight, it's hard not to click on that familiar logo.

And while it's easy to use, Uber has a lot more going on under the hood than you might realize. Did you know there are seven types of rides available, and you can end up literally paying the price for not knowing the difference? And even if you don't care because your employer is footing the bill, there are ways to make that process even easier. If you want to make things harder on your driver, cue up your own playlist. But if you do, you should tip heavily. Which you can do now!

Read on for some tricks that will have you navigating the service better.

Know Before You Go

There's far more to Uber than just Uber. The app has several levels of pricing and service, some of which may not be available in your area.

UberTAXIYou can use Uber to request a taxi. The payment is not included so you will have to pay your driver. A $2 booking fee is processed through the app. The cancellation fee is $5.

Uber Express PoolIf you've got some time to spare, Uber Express Pool matches you with passengers going a similar route. You'll have to walk a few blocks to meet the car and your fellow riders (kinda like, you know, a bus).

uberPool (known as UberPop in Europe)With uberPool you share your ride and the cost with others. You'll be given the price for a flat fare before you request a car. You can request an uberPool for up to two people.

uberXAn uberX is a sedan that seats four riders. The base fare and per-minute and per-mile fees are higher than uberPool.

uberXLUber XL has SUVs to accomodate larger groups. An uberXL seats six riders and its base fare and per-minute and per-mile fees are higher than uberX.

Uber Car SeatUber Car Seat is an uberX that comes equipped with a forward-facing car for a child who is at least a year old, 22 pounds, and 31 inches tall. The car seat does not fit children who weigh more than 48 pounds or are more than 52 inches tall.

uberWAVCustomers who use a motorized wheelchair or scooter can book an uberWAV to get an accessible vehicle that has a driver certified by a third party in safely driving and assisting people with disabilities.

UberSelectRequest an UberSelect and you'll get a high-end car that acomodates up for four passengers for slightly less than you'd pay for an uberBlack.

UberBlackThe original Uber black-car service. The base fare and per-minute and per-mile fees are higher than uberX and uberXL.

UberSUVUberSUV gets you a luxury SUV that seats six and has a higher base fare and per-minute and per-mile fees than UberBlack.

UberLuxWhen you really want to make an impression, order up an uberLux. A professional chauffeur will pick you up in an Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, Jaguar XJ series, Land Rover Range Rover, Lexus LS, Mercedes-Benz S-Class or G-Class, a Porsche Panamera, Tesla Model S, Bentley, Maybach, or a Rolls Royce. Expect it to set you back about twice as much as an UberBlack would.

Share Your Ride

If you feel unsafe or just want someone to know when you're scheduled to arrive without texting them every two minutes, you can share the details of your ride. Order a trip in the app and before or during the trip, swipe up from the bottom and select Share Status. Choose names from your contacts or enter the phone numbers of those with whom you want to share your ETA. Confirm and they will get a text with a live map of your location. (You can also share your Uber ETA via Snapchat.)

If you know who you're likely to share your trips with, enter their info ahead of time by going to Settings > Trusted Contacts. You can then add up to five people from your Contacts app. On each trip you'll receive a prompt that lets you share your ride with them or decline.

You Are My Destination

To simplify the process of meeting up with a friend, sync your contacts to Uber (Settings > Sync Contacts). When you go to request a ride, type your friend's name in the "Where To..." box. Your friend will get a request for their current location. When they accept, their location is set as your destination.

Get the Message

If you're making plans with a friend in Facebook Messenger, there's no need to leave the app to book an Uber. Have your friend shoot you the address of where to meet, tap the address, and select Request a Ride.

Easy Money

Filling out expense reports is a pain, but Uber makes it easy to get your cash back. Go to the menu, select History, and get the details on all your rides, including total miles and minutes.

Here's a Tip

Uber's success is predicated on just how easy it makes hailing and paying for a ride. For a while that ease did not apply to tipping, which wasn't possible in the app. Now when you rate your driver, you can choose a pre-set tip amount or customize one below the stars. Tipping (and rating your driver) can be taken care of during your ride by tapping the destination card at the bottom of the screen. You can also tip from your trip history in the app or from the trip receipt that gets mailed to you. Tips can be added for 30 days from the time of the trip.

In My Estimation

When you're sitting in the back of a cushy Uber, smug that you're not on the subway, it's easy to forget just how much you'll be paying for it later. But you can get an estimate ahead of time. When you enter your destination in the app, scroll through all your choices of Uber type and an estimated cost for each. You can also visit Uber's fare estimator on a desktop.

There Is Such a Thing as a Free Ride

You can get free rides or money off rides if you invite friends to sign up for Uber. Go to the menu and select Free Rides to see your promo code, which you can share with friends.

Easy Listening Rider

You should probably let the driver listen to their own music, but if you must, Uber lets you play your own Spotify playlists (and tracks from Pandora). After getting matched with a driver, a music bar will appear at the bottom of the screen. Tap it to log into your Spotify Premium or Pandora account. Choose a song, station, or playlist and when you get into the car, it will start playing. Once the trip has started, you can control the music from the Uber app. Just try to avoid these songs.

Does Not Commute

You can use commuter pre-tax benefits toward uberPool if your employer uses one of the commuter benefits prepaid cards Uber has partnered with. Just enter your commuter benefits debit card to your account via Payments > Add Payment Method. Select Commuter Benefit Card and save. Before you request a ride to or from work, go into Payments and select the card and then select the uberPool option.

Remember that because it is an uberPool you could be riding with up to six people, so allow some extra time in your schedule for pick-ups and drop-offs.

Pick Up Where You Left Off

Did you move locations since you last requested that Uber? Dashed across the street for a hot dog? Slipped indoors out of the sun? You can let your driver know in the app. Go into the map, tap Pickup Location, hit Edit, and enter a new address or drag the pin to your new location (provided it falls within the gray zone around the destination pin). Make sure you're staying in that spot though because you can only change your location once. If you're having trouble locating your driver or vice versa, tap the gray icon on the bottom right of the screen. The driver will be able to see exactly where you are.

Plan Ahead

Save some time with Calendar Shortcuts. Connect your calendar to Uber and upcoming meetings and appointments will show up as a "shortcut" on the bottom of Uber when you open the app. Just tap the one you're going to for a ride there (make sure that you enter an address for the event in your calendar app). To link your calendar, go to Settings > Privacy > Calendar and slide Calendar Sync to on.

To schedule a ride ahead of time, tap the car and clock icon next to Where To? You'll be able to set a date and time for when you need a car.

Be Our Guest

If you need to get mom to the doctor or a friend to the airport, request a ride for them in your Uber app. Once you've entered the destination, click the pickup location and enter a destination. Then tap your name at the top and select Switch Rider. Enter the person's name or number. You'll pay for the ride unless you're in a country that accepts cash payments, in which case the passenger can opt to pay in cash.

Meanwhile, if you're hosting an event and you want to make it a fun, carefree one for your guests, you can take care of their transportation. Log onto Uber Events and fill out the form to get customized ride passes you can give to guests to use to get to and from your event. If they don't use the pass, you won't be out the cost of the ride.

Private Matter

When an app knows where you're going and where you've been, privacy is a major concern. Uber has now put all its privacy settings—Location, Contacts, and Notifications—on one page. Go to Settings > Privacy to choose when Uber and others can see your location, manage or remove contacts, and select which notifications you want to get from Uber and how.

Family Plan

Families share a lot of things in common and that can include Uber. You can set up a family profile to cover payment for family (and really whoever else you want), up to five people. Go to Settings > Family > Add Member. Adding someone sends an invite to them and once they accept, they can use the app on their own and select Family Profile as their payment method.

Venmo Money, Ven Fewer Problems

Venmo is a better bet than Bitcoin ever will be. One of the things it's most frequently used for is Uber. The two companies have taken a step out of the process and you can pay for (and split the cost of) Uber rides and Uber Eats right in the Uber app. Go to Payment > Add Payment Method > Venmo. If you don't have the option yet, the feature should be rolling out shortly. Oh and if you're the type to add emoji to your Venmo description line, there are exclusive Uber ones available.

Step Into the Spotlight

Should you have trouble spotting your driver, make it easier for them to find you. Once you get a confirmation for a car, the box at the bottom of the screen has a place to add a note to the driver where you can tell them what color you're wearing or what you're standing next to. You can also tap the color dot next to the box when your driver arrives. That will light up your screen in a color associated with the driver, which they can easily spot when you wave your phone.

Safety First

Uber has faced countless criticisms about passenger safety. As part of a new initiative (read: PR move), it has added an easy way to call 911 that will give emergency services your exact location. If you need 911, tap the card at the bottom of the screen and then 911 Assistance and then Call 911.

#DeleteUber

If none of this is compelling and you're still on team #DeleteUber, the ridesharing service has made it a tad easier to say farewell. Just go to the bottom of the Privacy page and tap Delete Account.

About the Author

Chandra is senior features writer at PCMag.com. She got her tech journalism start at CMP/United Business Media, beginning at Electronic Buyers' News, then making her way over to TechWeb and VARBusiness.com. Chandra's happy to make a living writing, something she didn't think she could do and why she chose to major in political science at Barnard College. For her tech tweets, it's ChanSteele.